Electric railway



(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

E. W. HEALD.

- ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

No. 385,928. v Patented July 10, 1888.

2 ZZOL,

N4 PEIERS. Pmlu-ulhum hu. Waihimpnn, 0.6.

(No Model.) Y 4 SheetsSheet 2.

E. 'W. HEALD.

ELECT-RIG RAILWAY Patented July 10, 1888:.

N. FEIERS. Phmwuxm mr. Washington. ac

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

E; W. HEALD.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY. I No. 385,928. Patented July 10, 1888- FIG-8 PATENT. OFFICE.

EDWIN- w. HEALD, or WILMINGTON, DELAWARE.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

summon-non forming part of necr n'mtent No. 385,928, dated an 10.1888.

1 Application died April at, was Serlnldio. 211.310. (80 mo el.)

' To all w hqmrit may concern.-

of Delaware, have-invented certnin'new and nsefnl Improvemenlsfi-n Electric Railways;

and do hcrchyzdeclnrcthefollowing to he a inll, clean-mid exact desc'riptionoffthc inven-' tion, such nsw'ill e'nirhle others skilled in'the art to which it apperta'ins to make andv use-the same.

My invention relates to clectricrcilways of that class iii which the current? is delivered.

to the electric motors on the car from overhead conductors supplied with current fro'hra dynamo or other generator of electricity at a central slntion or from several stations along the. line.

My improvements nre'directed tothe sn'p- .zo porting and condncting'connections between trolley with the snpply-wi're from beneath,

car, to ontonmtimlly retnrn'tbe'trolleyitoits' either side ol'the center, and to provide means toavoid too great lateral play ofthe trolley relatively to thewire, soasto avoid the escape of the trolley from beneath the wire and its elevation above it-fronieither side,- to

compensate for the vibrations-or jolts of thenormal central position beneath the wire not-' withstanding lateral vihrat-imi of the trolley to for readily shifting the trolley or conductingconnections when the end of {the route is reached and'from within the car, so. that the trolley may be readily adjnsted'to trail-under and in contact with the condncting-wire ac.- cording to the d irgciionof trnvel'of'the car and without necessitatingexternal 'shiftingor' reversing appliances fort-ho one; or its ,snp-

V port or turning the car'end for end; hut-the varions objects of my invention will more Fully and clearly 'nplienr froin'the {allowing detail description of-the'a'mmratns, while th'c'snlr' .ject-mat-ter claimed hymn willbe particularly recited in t-hesnmm ry at the close ofgliis' specification,

The accompanying drawings illustrate so mnch of an overhead-conductor electric railwayas isnecessar'y to an -,nndcrstand-ing of myimprovements, and therein- Figure 1 is a view of a streetcar-and an overhead electrical conductor with my ,improved conducting-connections and-their sup ports and rigging between thelh. Fig. 2 i's-a view of my improved devices, mostly in el e-, vation, and as supported upon the top of the ear,-which car-top is shown in section; "and Figs'.'3 and 4 tire-- details of the locking and shifting parts or elements of. said devices; Fig. 5 is a view similar to that of Fig; 2 as to the nppcr portions of my improv'ed'dcvices, showing more particularly the side brackets or games oi the" bell-crank rocking levers, which prevent lateral vibration of the trolleyrod upon its pivotal connection between said levers; and Fig.6 is a front'viewfotsaid side brackets or guides, showing the backward and forward. rocking trolley-rod between them- Fig. 6 isafriew in elevation of the trolley of my improved device, which is the revolving cylinder or drnmto make contact with. the

overhead conducting-wire inconv'eying the" cnrrent'to the motor. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal section therethrough to show its constrnction more clearly, and Fig. 7 is a modiiiv cation ofthe trolley, guide-flange; Fig. 8 is a diagram showin the switches and torn-onto. on; the line, or a one terminusthcr'eofywith which'lnyimprovements areadapted to operate; I

. The-overhead wire A is or maybehnng as usual, andrnnssnbstantially parallel with and over thc'center of the track, The electric F-cni'rent, '(so ealled )-is-or may-be supplied to this-conductingMire by a dynamo-electric machine or other generator of electricity at .a

- central station or at one end of the line, or from several stations along the 1i'n,' as usual. 1t supplies current to the. motor on-(and which drives) the car by means of a conducting or contact trolley or dra n; 15,-which travels beneath and; isheid in contact with tho wire,be ing supported by connections which, with certain "improvements in the trolley itself, constitute my present improvements. Said trolley B is mounted on the upper end ofa supporting and carryingrod, 0, (preferably a mmconducting rod of wood.) which is fitted'atits lower end in a pipe-extension, C; so do to form castin'gJ, so vi to lock the handwheel audits virtually eeontinuation or part thereof. Said sleeve,'n pou which it is heyedffrom turning pipe-extensionC'ie pivoted or trnnnionedbebeyond the ertent limit'ed by t-he play of the 70;

tween the short arms of two bell-crank levers, locking Inger-"nose h of h F D- as at 80 h t said pipe-oxtcnsion oft-he notcheejj'. which shonldbe'qllght. one wall trolley-rod C may rock on its pivotal ,cennecof the locking notches is formedbyexteudcd tidn with said belhcrank levers, which levers lugs or fingers' j, and the-player the latch marry or support said rod. The loweriend .of h on its pivot'ie-insntllclent to clear-it otssid said trolley-rod extension and the lowcr'endsfingem; 0o (gentlytheshlltlnghuud-wheel to of the'long erms of said "bell-crank levers are H and sleeve'fi' can only beturned half-r0- connected by a spring or springs, E, whih tation npon releasing the orletch inaudhave 1; tendency to dmwthe lower endlof the this acros's-tl e.- short er. wall- 0! the lookingtrolley-rod over toward the lower ends'of the notch, whereby'the hand-wheel cnrrym v the do bellcrank, while permittinga' yielding motion turning-sleeve H'cnn "simply turned ck l5 of the trolley-rod '01:. its pivotal connection and forth ahalt-rotetion-w-lth'. a locking-notch with the bell-cranlnend the qnick return to at each side of the casting J. Tl issnffioes for the position determined-by theteneion of the shitting or reversing theinelined'trolley rodnt spring when the rod and trolley suddenly dips. each end of the route,'and a halt-turn, o! the 85 1 from any cause, it being understood that the;- carrying-sleeve H tool! that is required; the

:0 spring E holds the trolley up against the'couparts being'leclred at the outlet the shitting dncting-wire'with e firm contact. orreveraing operation. 1

In order to prevent thepivoted trolley-rod, Provision is'rnade by the central. operotiugwhich in operation trails or inclines rca'rshaft, G", and its worm-goon Q fordipping or 0 wardly, (asusuehandasshown in Fig. I.) if it rocking the trolley-rod downward when the h should be connected from theeonduciing-w'ire, trolley i's-tehe disengaged from the couductfrom being thrown over past the perpendicu Jug-wire, .(as when thetrolley-rod' i. to

' lar by the action of the rod-springs'E, and, inshift/ed,) end-the :Iowe'r end of said shalt G addition, to prevent-.any'lateral play of the (whiehpess'es down tlironglitheturning sleeve 5- rod upon the bell-erankewhich mi ht happen, 'H).is fitted with .a hand-whoehG'; for tlllfllfl o owing to wear or loose pivoting, rigidly'selug said sha'lt, undby the rotation of its gear:

cure to the pipe-extensiouG' oi the trolley-rod Gcanses, by the gear-wheel]? the rockin 0t two side plates, brackets; or guides, F F,, the bell eranlrleverson'their pi votg and t as (shown in Figs 5 and 5",) whereby the trolley dip the'rod C en ffieientlylo clear the wire end no 7 rod'may rock freely in the lineflof the carwilh perrn'it t-he eleeveH to be turned to shift the 35 [said guides, while they prevent all lateral moapparatus. ".Thieoperstlngshal't and wontion of thetrolley-rod on itepivotal connection neetion elsodetermlnes'the degree 0 tension with the levers D D'yand'shottldih troll'eyto be exerted by the springs E u n thetrolrod escape or bel'reed from any cause it ean ley B through the rod (3 relative y'to the cou- :95 not reclrovjer to or pastthe perpendicular, for ducting-wire, for the gear-connection deter- 4Lo the guide or bracket plates limit therocking mines-how high the. ,trolley shall rise; The

of t-herod in misdirection bye curved slot, 1'; spring: E are merely returning or compensetin the brackets and fixed etuclef' on the le-.. ling devices to insure proper contact notwithv'ers D D. standing unevenness in road or wire end to no The bell-cranks l) D are pivoted to alfullake uporieompensnte for jolts or other dil- 5 crum or ear-pieces, ii, and are virtually one turhaucea crank, and havefitted hetwcenthe'm and'tlrmly v Airing or butterfly nut, G','.working'on the united thereto a, gear wheel, 1), which meshes shell; G'," is a convenient moons for. looking it with a. worm-geenl Thieworm-gear Gie to the hand-wheel H of the turning'sleen H keyed upon the upper end 05,11 central operwhen necessary and to'sec'ure the'operating- 5o ating-slmtt,-G ,wliieh passes down through and shaft in its proper'udjustments.

has its hearings inn-turning sleeve, H, to the The trolley B of the r paretus ispoeuliur,

1 upper end of which iskeyed tbe lnlcrum or and consists o' two eon eel-shaped tubes or ear-pieces h for the hell-e ehlt levers DDr, -eoneeBBKprelerahlyofsheet-copper,)unlted no Said sleeve Hie fitted to turn in suitable'bear at theirlarger ends b r e stouter central 0on iugs at the upper ends oithe eiandnrdsl II I; Qnectiou or-Mint, i yfi fl" which standards may belourin numberanld jeted-or otherwise scoured, 'gneller ends ofrise from t e befitop to, support audbracethe -seldconeshb'elng fitted with end benringe, B? entire upper part of thenpparatuej r I B,-(in the shops of briss outings preferably; The lowerendofthe tun-hing jsleeveH passes to lit theti-olley (or thus'oonstituted drninoj down through the car-top an throughe-suit to be readily revolved on e central axle;

able casting, J to g'ive'itlienrlngtherein, an ex tendi between the forked nrms (Z17 of e inside-the car isiitted with 'ehund-wheel 'euitable rame or 1:5 mountedon-the-upby which to readily 'tn'rn' snid eleeg; rem perje'ndot the trolleyp, within the car. This linnoy'vhecl HA fitted; or the-stro r firmv mike it e with a (preferably spri'ngy-jletoh 'oWdetolhfi'," "endwhenln wlththe wire it revolves wlthe ,lng or nose h ,ntted to'en eitherfreely. v-Th'e drum tokes'o't! thecnrrent lion one of twq, notphes, jj'; 'in ;e;: llnnge, of the the wire esit is drewn elong in eohteot with O, Theborrelahepe i301 the wire by the car, and the electricity is ormay be conducted to the motor on the car by means of insulated wires, which make good electrical connection between the trolley or its journals and the binding-posts or connections of the motor in well-known ways.

The bearings 13 B" B of the trolley may have oil-holes for oiling, and one of the end bearings or castings, B, may have a plug, b, to admit the injection of a small quantity of oil to the interior of the-trolley cylinder or drum to be tossed about and lubricate the parts and bearings. A

The opposite tapered or cone ends 13 B of the trolley B are each fitted with a spiral flange, 1), leading to the V-shaped central portion, B, of the drum, and are for the purpose of directing the wire to the center of the drum when the trolley dips and springs back out of true or the center line, as is apt to be the case many times during a trip of the car, owing to unevenness of the track and running of the car, 810. The wire thus caught on the cone-surface runs on the parallel flange I) of the angle-flange b, and thus prevents wear of the body of the trolley, while the upright part b of said angle-flange, being spirally arranged, directs the wire to its proper central V-shaped working-surface of the drum formed by the section B thereof. This central V-shaped section, B, also insures smooth running of the trolley. Said central section, B has two annular curved or rounded bosses or ribs, 1) I), cut away at the terminus of the spiral flange, so as to offer no obstruction to guiding the trolley centrally upon the wire, and these bosses also serve to readily shift the wire off the trolley or drum in turning out or leaving the main wire or in being switched off onto a switch-wire, the trolley always followingthe car.

As most ofthe wear on the trolley or drum is on the central section, B I fit it with a supplemental wearingsurface consisting of sec tions of preferably screw attached copper plates, as clearly shown in Figs. 6 and 7, so that when worn they may be readily replaced, and as provision is made by the spiral flange for taking the wear off the taper part of the drum or trolley, and as it may be readily replaced, I have provided a trolley which will last indefinitely and not need to be soon thrown away from wear of the wire, as was the case heretofore.

In Fig. 7 I show a modification of the angleflange Z), in that it is riveted by its parallel flange b permanently to the cylinder, while it has a readily-detachable wearing-flange for the wire secured thereto, so as to enable it to be readily removed and a new wearing surface substituted, as required.

In operation, with the parts properly adjusted, travel is had from one end of the line to the other without shifting of the trolley or any attention on the part of the driver or conductor of the car. When the terminus is the connections before described, and the return journey may be commenced.

In turning out, as with single-track lines, the trolley.

having but slight play, follows the car, and

the main wire is readily shed or shifted off the trolley by the curved boss I)", and the new or turn-out wire as readily and effectually guided into the groove of the trolley. The

same remarks apply to switching, and several switch-lines as well as a turn-0ut have been illustrated by the diagram Fig. 8 of the drawings.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, with a trolley bearing upward against a conducting wire and its supporting and carrying connection on top of the car, of a shifting or reversing operating mechanism therefor fitted within the car-roof, substantially as described.

2. The co'mbination,with atrolley adapted to bear upward against a conducting wire and its supporting and carrying connection on top of the car, of a sleeve to shift said connection from the inside of the car and fitted with an operating-handle and locking device, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the trolley rod, its pivoted supporting lever, a dippingshaft, and gearing between said shaft and lever, whereby the trolley-rod may be dipped or inclined, as desired.

4. The combination of the trolley-rod, the bell-crank lever to which it is pivoted, the returning-spring between said rod and lever, a dippingshaft geared with said lever, and a handle to operate said shaft, whereby the relation of said rod to the conducting-wire may be determined by said dipping-shaft,while the spring maintains yielding contact.

5. The combination of the trolley rod, its pivoted supporting-lever, the turning sleeve upon which said lever is pivoted so as to be adjusted thereon, the handle to turn said sleeve, a dipping-shaft passing through said sleeve, gearing between said shaft and said pivoted lever, and a handle for said shaft, whereby the trolley-rod may be dipped or inclined by the dipping-shaft and the apparatus reversed by the said turning sleeve, substantially as described.

6. The combination of the conducting-wire, the trolley, and the turning sleeve which supports and carries the trolley-rod and its connections,with a fixed notched locking-plate, and a IIO locking device between said sleeve and plate,

substantially as described.

7. The combination, with the supporting lever and the trolley rod or standard pivoted thereon, of side guides fixed to said trolleyrod and preventing lateral motion of said rod upon said lever, substantially as described.

8. The trolley fitted with a spiral flange upon its cone end leading to the center of the trolley and with a portion thereof substantially parallel with the surface of the trolley to take the wear of the wire, substantially as 11. The trolley having a depression or groove for the conductingwvire to run in, and described. at each side thereof a curved or rounded an- 9. The trolley made up of three main secnnlar boss cut away to shed or shift a leaving r5 tions, to wit: two cone end sections and a cenwire, substantially as described. iral section having a depression or groove for In testimony whereof I ailix my signature in the wire, substantially as described. presence of two witnesses.

10. The trolley having a central V-shaped EDWIN \V. HEALD. or depressed section fitted with corresponding detachable wearing-plates, substantially as described. l

\Vitnesses:

WM. J. PEYTON, EDW. F. SrMPsoN, Jr.

Letters Patent No. 385,928

Corrections in follows: In line 14, page 1, the Word motors should read motor; in line 76 page, the Word device should read devices; in line 25, page 2, the Word conne should read disconnected, and in line 98, same page, the Word causes should cause and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections ti that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oflice.

Signed, countersigned, and sealed this 17th day of July, A. D. 1888.

[sEAL.] D. L. HAWKINS,

Assistant Secretary of the Int. (Jountersigned:

BENTON J. HALL,

Gonunissioner of Patents. 

